ST. PETERSBURG, June 14. /TASS/. China has made such strides in the automotive industry that its cars are now better than those from Germany and Japan -- the former undisputed leaders, Alexander Galushka, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Public Chamber and President of the Crystal of Growth Foundation, told TASS in an interview recorded at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Where did China start in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and how has it grown before our very eyes into a technological powerhouse? The most striking example is the automotive industry. At first, people made fun of Chinese cars, saying they were clunky, prone to breaking down, ugly, and unattractive. What about Chinese cars these days? They've already surpassed the Japanese and German ones. The Chinese automotive industry has surpassed that of Japan and Germany. That's a fact," Galushka said.

China is "deliberately focusing on the technological development of its economy," with the state playing a decisive coordinating role in this process, he stressed. "Yes, of course, both investors and companies are all active. But the government is the one that organizes this, first and foremost. The state acts as the strategic organizer of technological development," the public figure added.